A Fiction Agreed Upon. Episode Eight: Eschewal. Part Three.

It took a long time to convince Richard back into his chair, and even longer to get Robespierre unstuck from the wall but it was eventually accomplished.

“How did you find me?” Rain asked Maltass. They had been plied with a tall glass of iced water.

“Doctor Pless admitted what had happened almost immediately. Because this is sacred knowledge, I was the only one who could handle this discreetly.” They scowled at Rain. “Aliens are not supposed to know how to use our technology. If you do not return all of our data and technology the treaty with your Federation will be nullified.”

Maltass curled they’re lips back. “The Komali have superior technology. If you do not surrender everything you stole, most assuredly we will make you surrender it by force.”

“And the men?” Rain asked calmly. She placed her hands around her coffee cup to keep them steady.

“Yes, you’ll need to surrender them as well.”

“What will happen to them?” She noticed Leonardo, Richard and Maximilien straighten up, staring at her with wide eyes.

They knew nothing about this world. They were powerless. Helpless. She’d probably killed them all over again by doing this.

They’d never survive.

“Of course we cannot let this indiscretion get back to our government. They will be taken and disposed of.”

XXX

“And the men?” Rain asked calmly.

Richard noticed that her hands were shaking.

“Yes, you’ll need to surrender them as well.”

“What will happen to them?” Rain continued to speak as if Leonardo, Robespierre and Richard were not sitting there with them.

“Of course we cannot let this indiscretion get back to our government. They will be taken,” Richard stiffened and Robespierre drew a sharp breath, “And disposed of.”

Rain nodded slowly, her eyes staring unblinking at the Ambassador. “I…see.” With the tiniest of head movement’s she looked at Richard, and in that brief moment of eye contact, the ex-King understood what he had to do.

The ambassador was looking around at them all. “Well? Do you want to-” their sentence was cut off as Richard swiftly stood up and the crushing force grabbed the alien’s head and brought it down to meet the kitchen table with a sickening crunch. The ambassador did not move when Richard let go of its head.

Rain surveyed the whole scene without moving a muscle even as Robespierre and Leonardo jumped.

Richard turned to Rain.

“Would you like me to do the same to you or, do you have a sedative to take?”

Rain considered it for a moment. “You know, I think I will take the sedative. I’ll be back in moment.”

She got up and limped towards the back of the house. Richard nodded his head decisively. He started moving around the kitchen, opening drawers and cabinets and pulling out the sparse amount of shelf stable food Rain kept on hand.

“What are you doing?” Robespierre asked, still staring, horror struck at the unconscious alien on the table. “You might have killed him!”

“I didn’t do it that hard,” Richard said gruffly. He was pulling out knives from the knife block and selected a paring knife, which he slipped into boot and the chopping knife, which he placed in the small pile of food he was gathering.

“You’re running away.” Leonardo stated calmly.

“I am. You heard the ambassador, their intention is to kill us. I won’t be here when they turn up with reinforcements.”

Leonardo titled his head, watching as Richard struggled with the replicator. He hissed when it beeped a negative at him again.

“Blasted machines.”

Leonardo went over and calmly punched in the access code. “It should work now.”

Richard looked at him suspiciously. “What?”

“Take us with you,” Leonardo said.

“What?” Richard said, incredulously.

Robespierre also looked up, surprise all over his face.

“You said it yourself, they intend to kill us. You are clearly the expert at surviving on the lam, I understand this technology the best of the three of us, and Ma- Robespierre is the only one who has studied the maps of this city. Out best chance of survival is to work together.”

Richard looked Leonardo up and down.

“You can come. He stays.” He tilted his head, indication the Frenchman. However before Robespierre could protest, Leonardo frowned and grabbed Richard’s wrist in a vice grip.

“No. Both of us, or I will go nowhere.”

Richard grunted, his fingertips going oddly numb as Leonardo steadily increased pressure. He grittted his teeth, staring down Leonardo, who did not even flinch.

“Fine. But if he slows us down, I’m leaving both of you,” Richard finally conceded. Leonardo let go of his wrist and smiled charmingly.